


Memories

by Kit_SummerIsle



Series: Cybertronian Advent Calendar [4]
Category: Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: Advent Calendar, Snow Globe, Vos - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-11
Updated: 2013-12-11
Packaged: 2018-01-04 08:32:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,110
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1078830
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kit_SummerIsle/pseuds/Kit_SummerIsle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Advent Calendar day 7 - prompt: snow globe<br/>A Human delegation insists on giving Starscream a gift.<br/>G1-ish, post-war.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Memories

“Starscream, please be reasonable…”

“Why? It is not even our celebration?”

“But it is theirs and they wish us to share. And… why not? Gift giving is an ancient Cybertronian custom too, so we have this in common.”

“But they are… humans! Why would humans want to give ME a gift? Let them give one to you!”

“Love… it is politics as well, surely you understand. You are my Consort and they wish to give you a gift. Is it that hard to accept? You love gifts.”

Starscream hmph-ed and fractionally lowered his agitated wings. True, he did love gifts, it was the human aspect that bothered him. He still didn’t like humans, not very much, than you. They probably wanted to give him something disgustingly organic, something that rather belonged to a specimen jar than a gift box… but he did understand politics and trade with Earth was important for Cybertron.

“But what is it anyway?”

From the upturned nasal sensor and the slight frown Optimus read his beloved’s thoughts as clearly as like they were his own – he didn’t even need their bond to make sure.

“I’m fairly sure that you’ll like it.” – he answered with a warm smile.

Starscream cast him a look that said unlikely even clearer, but apparently decided to humor him.

“Very well… let’s see them.”

The smaller audience chamber was still plenty big enough for the mechs and probably cavernous for the human delegation, but they were by this time used to Cybertronian architecture. Starscream looked at them like they were insects he’d rather step on than accept a gift from and only some fairly strong nudges from the Prime made him stop the glower and produce a halfway convincing smile on his lipplates.

The humans didn’t seem to mind. Their leader stepped forward and began a long and boring speech that Starscream apparently didn’t bother to listen, but Optimus nodded and smiled in all the right places. In the end though he announced with a huge smile:

“And in the spirit of Christmas, we’d like to present Lord Starscream with our heartfelt gift!”

There it was. Optimus tensed slightly while Starscream bent forward a bit and tried to look surprised. The title bestowed on him has made him somewhat more appreciative of the organics.

::Love…:: - Optimus’s voice was worried in the bond.

Starscream bent forward even more as two of the humans in the delegation came forward, carrying a box, big for them but wrapped like a present with a ridiculously huge red bow on it. They lifted it towards him and the Seeker cautiously picked the relatively small – for him – box out of their hands without hurting them – or touching for that matter – in the process.

Then came the strangest advice he’s ever been given in his long vorns for a gift from the human wearing a wide, idiotic grin. Starscream nearly threw away the box, before he felt Optimus’s frown through the bond.

“Please, Lord Starscream, shake the box well before opening it!”

He cast a disbelieving look at the human, but it – he – was vigorously nodding; and at his bonded but he, too glanced back encouragingly. So Starscream, to humor everyone present, but feeling like a fool lifted the box and shook it well. Then he pulled the ribbon, holding it close, tensed slightly – no former Decepticon ever trusted in closed boxes containing Primus-knows-what – and the wrapping fell away.

In his servos lay a ball. No, not a ball, he observed, a globe, slightly bigger than the humans’ heads, fitting into his servo well. A completely white globe set on a small, marble base. Starscream lifted an incredulous and slightly bewildered look to the observers, not knowing how he should react, what the frag it was and…

::Just a second, beloved… look at it now.::

Starscream glanced back to the globe and noticed a slight difference. It was now not completely white, but started to clear up from the top. Lifting it curiously – and slightly more assured by now that it would not explode like a bomb or a prank – he peered at it to ascertain what it was revealing. In the background, the humans’ eager waiting for his reactions were almost annoying. As more and more of the white… whatnot in the globe started to settle, the more Starscream’s optics widened and his wings lifted. 

“Is it…?”

“In a klik, Star…” – Optimus was smiling more honestly now, that he felt Starscream’s ire dissipating and being replaced by surprise and incredulous awe.

The Seeker lifted the sphere a bit more and dialled up the magnification in his optics to better observe the minuscule scene in the globe. As more and more of the fluffy white thing settled – while Starscream’s processor supplied the correct label: snow – the more he forgot his earlier annoyance and soon a ghost of a smile appeared on his lipplates. 

In the globe a cityscape appeared, its tiny buildings and towers covered in the snow that settled fully now. A cityscape that Starscream knew very well… those towers, the Aerie, the landmarks of long-gone Vos… bittersweet memories swirled up in him like the snow in the globe at the sight of his lost city. Vos has not been rebuilt yet, their resources were lean enough so they could only concentrate on one city for the surviving few Cybertronians.

But here it was, whole and like new, in its former glory and majesty the scene he nearly forgot during the long war. Starscream smiled and this time there was nothing forced in it. It was good to see, even as it caused pain. But in a way it was not only a memento but a promise too, an encouragement that in one orn, Vos would stand in its old glory. They could do it now, they will do it.

::Beloved…” – came a little nudge from Optimus. Ohh… the humans were waiting for a reaction. 

Starscream looked up, letting the smile still ghost his lipplates. He had to concede, the gift came out far better than he’d expected from the humans.

“Thank you.” – he was surprised to hear that his voice was still constricted by emotions. Well, hopefully, they wouldn’t notice. He knew that Optimus would. – “It is truly… appreciated.”

The humans beamed and Starscream felt Optimus’s slight little relief at his polite words. There was only one thing he didn’t understand…

::How could they know what Vos was like?”:: 

::When they approached me with the idea, I gave them a copy of that painting Sunstreaker made for you last vorn.”

::Ohh… I guess that explains…” – Starscream was silent for a klik – “It is not bad. From humans.”


End file.
